The concubine, a former cannon fodder, becomes pregnant, and the childless prince spoils her rotten.

The long wait was agonizing. Just as Lin Zhizhi was considering whether to lie and say that she had started her period, and refuse the imperial physician's pulse diagnosis, she was...

The old nanny who went to look for her returned with a grim face and whispered, "The Empress's old problem of heart palpitations has flared up again. All the imperial physicians have rushed to her side, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are also there."

The imperial concubine understood immediately, "It's just about the boat trip earlier."

She was only halfway through her sentence when Yueqi, who was unaware of the situation and had only heard bits and pieces of information from others, looked completely bewildered.

It was precisely because the Crown Princess had previously saved the Fifth Prince that she angered the Emperor, which is why the Empress prepared this scene.

"Come, let's go and see," the Empress said. She had long been dissatisfied with the previous boat trip and wanted to see what the Empress was thinking.

The imperial concubine was not the only one who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news; most of them were people who were on good terms with the empress.

When the imperial concubine arrived, they frequently glanced at her, and their previously noisy conversations were greatly reduced.

"I've come to see how Her Majesty the Empress is doing," the Imperial Concubine said, noticing the people gathered around the Empress's bedside.

The imperial physicians took turns examining his pulse, and in the end, they could only conclude: "It's the same old problem; some medicine will do the trick."

The imperial concubine interjected at this moment: "If that precious ginseng were still available, it could also cure your ailment."

Lin Zhizhi probably knew who Cen Jingyi got his sarcastic personality from.

At this moment, with his slightly upturned eyebrows concealed, he noticed that the princess had also relaxed.

"Ouch..." The Empress's face turned even more pale with anger. She clutched her chest, struggling to breathe. The imperial physicians around her quickly administered acupuncture, fearing that something might go wrong.

At this moment, Lin Zhizhi noticed someone approaching from behind her; it was Yueqi, who had previously been dissatisfied with Lin Zhizhi.

At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on the Queen, and no one noticed her actions.

Lin Zhizhi walked towards the princess as if by accident. Yue Qi, who had been gathering her strength, did not retract it and instead pounced straight towards the crown princess.

The two bumped into each other. Yueqi looked at Lin Zhizhi in horror, then quickly knelt down and said, "This servant deserves to die, please forgive me, Your Highness."

The Crown Princess looked unwell and needed her maid's help to stand up.

The Empress was so shocked that she forgot to cry out in pain. "Quickly, let the Crown Princess take a look."

"I am fine, but I have some abdominal pain, which I think is because I haven't been able to conceive for a long time..." The Crown Princess said shyly, omitting the rest of her words, "Please allow me to change my clothes, Your Majesty."

Despite saying that, she lost her strength again.

"Quickly help the Crown Princess to rest and let the imperial physician take a good look at her. But how could a mere bump cause this?" the Empress said anxiously. "This is an old ailment of mine; I'll recover in a moment."

The imperial physician was in a flustered state. After taking her pulse for a short while, his face lit up with joy. He said, "Congratulations, Crown Princess! You are more than a month pregnant. The impact you just suffered has disturbed the fetus, which is why you are experiencing unbearable abdominal pain. I will prescribe some medicine to help stabilize the pregnancy."

"Good, the Crown Prince's Palace can finally produce a legitimate son again." The Empress was overjoyed. Over the years, the Crown Princess had only had one child, and the legitimate line had dwindled.

Now that I've heard good news, my heart palpitations have disappeared.

Upon hearing that the Empress was unwell, the Emperor, who had just finished reviewing the memorials, arrived late, only to hear of this joyous occasion.

The Emperor's attitude towards the Crown Prince has softened, and the palace is filled with joy.

Everyone immediately knelt down to offer their congratulations and received rewards.

Lin Zhizhi looked at Yue Qi, whose face was deathly pale. If she hadn't noticed Yue Qi's actions earlier, she would be the one kneeling down now.

Only then did the Empress turn to Yueqi, "Why did you lunge at the Crown Princess without provocation? If anything were to happen to the child in her womb, what would your punishment be?"

"I was pushed here by Lin Zhizhi. I didn't know anything. I'm innocent." Yueqi was so frightened that she was completely at a loss.

The Empress clearly recognized the name. "It's that Lin Zhizhi again. She's the last one, after the two lost children. How dare she bring such an unlucky person to the palace? What are your intentions, Your Highness? Do you not want anyone else to have a grandchild because you haven't yet received one?"

"I think it's an auspicious sign that someone gets pregnant wherever she is." The imperial concubine had seen these kinds of things before, and her expression remained calm.

As for Yueqi, who was kneeling on the ground, she felt even more disgusted. "Since this maid lost her footing and almost injured the Crown Princess's unborn child, and then tried to frame others, her intentions are truly vicious. Let her be beaten to death."

Yueqi never imagined such a severe punishment, much less that the Crown Princess was pregnant at this moment.

She looked at the princess in a disheveled state, "Your Highness, please save me. I don't want to die yet."

The Empress coldly looked at the Princess Consort, "The Crown Prince's concubine lost her child before, and now it's the Crown Princess. It seems someone deliberately orchestrated this to prevent a child from being born in the Crown Prince's residence."

He then looked at the Emperor with deep sorrow and said, "If everyone were like the people in the Prince's mansion, how could the royal family continue its lineage?"

By involving the imperial heirs, the original mistake was magnified countless times.

Knowing that the princess herself was in dire straits, let alone able to save her, Na Yueqi regretted having harbored evil thoughts earlier.

The princess had clearly told her before she left that she could seize the opportunity to get rid of Lin Zhizhi.

Originally, the intention was simply to make Lin Zhizhi behave improperly in front of the emperor and be punished by the imperial concubine. After returning to the palace, the prince would hear about this and she would never be able to recover.

She could also get the princess's full support, so she could squeeze out Lin Zhizhi's position and become the prince's concubine.

Even Xiying thought so, so why did it escalate to such a serious level?

No, the princess did not instruct her to do that.

I simply told her: "The Empress's mind is unpredictable, so be very careful. If you are caught doing something wrong and punished, and the Prince blames you, I will also be treated coldly."

At that time, let alone being promoted to a concubine, she wouldn't even last long as a maidservant.

That was a well-intentioned warning, and even if it were told to others, they would certainly not find fault with the princess.

How did it turn out like this?

The imperial concubine had long suspected that the Prince's mansion's lack of an heir must be due to someone's sabotage.

Seeing that Yueqi had dragged the princess into this, she had no intention of speaking up for her. If she had received the emperor's decree today, it would have been best to have the two of them divorce.

Lin Zhizhi looked at the princess with a somewhat bewildered expression, but dared not utter a word.

Everyone's expression was different, and Yueqi's body trembled as if she were being shaken.

The Crown Princess rose slightly, then slowly knelt down again, and said softly, "I am fine. It is a joyous occasion to be pregnant again. I wish to pray for the well-being of my unborn child and do not wish to see blood. I hope Your Majesty will calm your anger."

She pleaded for mercy, and the imperial concubine said nothing more.

The Emperor was overjoyed and said with a smile, "You two are truly kind-hearted and have always treated your servants well. In that case, you should go back and take good care of your health."

Clearly, the previous grudges had disappeared, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess now seemed much more agreeable.

The princess's face was deathly pale. She stared at Yueqi kneeling on the ground, concealing the resentment in her eyes.